Collision
by Dragon6125
Summary: How Sabo met Ace and Luffy. Part of my Virtual Reality/Modern AU. Main Fic: Playing with Dragons. Can be read separately.


Eleven years old and Sabo was already out on the streets. He'd asked himself over and over what he'd done. He'd finally said no. He finally said that he was done with conforming to his family's wishes. Done being treated like a machine and a pawn rather then the child he was. Done being told "But it will make you happy, trust me." He wasn't happy. Not in the slightest. He'd finally snapped. And now here he was, kicked to the curb in order to be taught a lesson. They expected him to come back. Sabo never planned on going back.

It had all seemed like a grand adventure when he had begun. The liberating feeling of being free of his parent's reign quickly staunched by the feeling of dread and second guesses and wondering if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he would be happy. Maybe if he stopped fighting it, he'd enjoy it. No. He couldn't let himself think that. He couldn't go back. He couldn't. No. He'd decided. _But eleven year olds don't live by themselves on the streets_. He chided himself. If he had gone back and asked to be taken back he could have a warm blanket. He could have a warm meal. He could have books. he could have his comics. He could have his video games. Sabo wasn't even sure why he'd originally brought his DS with him, the battery was long dead by now with nowhere to charge it, so he'd sold the DS and all his games in order to have a little bit more money to survive. Sabo had never realized how hard it was to do anything when you're an unsupervised minor.

Sabo pulled his feet up onto the park bench, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his forehead in the crook between them. He'd run out of money three days ago, most of it having been spent getting as much distance between himself and Boston as possible. Sabo wasn't even sure where he was anymore, he'd stopped caring. All he knew was that it was hot and it was dry and he was hungry. He couldn't remember the last time he hadn't been exhausted and hungry but he didn't have any money, so what was he supposed to do? He'd spent his whole life having everything provided for him and now he had less than nothing. His stomach growled and he buried his face further into his knees. he took a deep breath and lifted his head, straightening out his aching legs and hoisting himself up off the bench. If he lingered looking sorry for himself any longer, people would start asking questions.

"What was I thinking?" Sabo muttered under his breath. He ran a hand through his long, messy, blonde locks with a sigh. He needed a haircut he mused softly to himself, rolling a lock between his fingers before letting out a quiet chuckle. "A hair cut? Who am I kidding I can't even afford a—" Sabo let out a surprised grunt of surprise as someone slammed into him and sent him sprawling to the ground. His lungs locked up, the air having been knocked out of them in the fall, and he struggled to take a breath.

"Sorry! You okay?" an accented voice reached his ears just as Sabo finally managed to suck in a deep breath of air and turned towards the owner of the voice. His soul nearly left him when he found it's owner's face mere inches from his own.

Sabo opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out until after he'd taken in the smattering of freckles across tan skin underneath onyx eyes and framed by messy locks of black hair. "You okay?" The boy repeated and Sabo nodded, despite the tell-tail sting of a painful scrape on his palm and the tingling ache in his hip that told him he'd probably have a very nasty bruise by the end of the day.

"He's over there!" An angry shout resonated from down the street. The boy before him did a snap turn towards the sound of the angry voice before swearing in a language that sounded vaguely Spanish. He gathered up the mess of junk food scattered around them in a rush. Sabo's stomach growled embarrassingly at the sight.

The boy froze, eyes turning back to Sabo for a moment as he seemed to re-evaluate him. Sabo couldn't help but squirm under his gaze. A younger voice called from somewhere down the street in that language Sabo still couldn't place and the boy before him shouted something back before turning back to Sabo. "Come."

Before Sabo could uttered a word of protest, the older boy had dragged Sabo to his feet by the wrists and taken off running down the street, Sabo's right arm still firmly locked within his left hand. Sabo could do nothing but follow with a light limp as the pain worked its way out of his system. With the promise of a meal, he could hardly say no.

"If you brats don't get back here I'm calling the cops!"

Sabo's eyes focused in on the straw hat sitting atop the younger boy's head as they passed him. The boy'd unique giggle caught Sabo's attention as a book bag was thrust into his hands. Sabo gaped at it, realizing that he was now an accomplice in what was definitely theft. Sabo had considered theft more than once but hw asn't sure if he was ready to commit to that. Apparently he no longer had a choice. The older boy released his hold on Sabo's arm as Sabo took the straps of the bag in his hands and slung the bag onto his shoulders. He quickly followed after the two ravens down the streets of Summit City, Texas. It wasn't long before Sabo was wheezing as his lungs struggled to keep up with the unrelenting pace the two boys kept. Sabo thanked god that he still had his inhaler and that he hadn't run out yet or he was sure he was going to die.

Sabo turned to glance behind them as they turned the corner, seeing a woman wearing a yellow bandana step out to talk to the angry man chasing after them and looking deeply apologetic. "Um. There's a.." Sabo started hesitantly, words struggling to make it pass the growing knot in his throat.

The older boy surprised him by laughing "You can talk."

Sabo swallowed and tried to get another gasp of air into his lungs to spare for words "I think… ha… I think… we're… ha…. Can we… stop running?" Sabo gulped for air, suddenly even more exhausted now that he had spoken.

"Don't worry. Almost there." The boy assured him as they continued to push forward. They did, however, slow their pace slightly for his sake. Sabo still thought he was going to die.

'Almost' turned out to be nearly eight (an eternity) more minutes of running, after which Sabo's leg's gave out and he collapsed on the porch, breath coming in short gasps as he struggled to get air into his lungs. He dug into his pockets to extract his inhaler and fit in between his lips, tacking a deep breath of the nasty medicated mist. He turned a scowl the older boy's way, but it faded quickly when he saw how concerned and apologetic the boy looked before realizing he was being looked at, gaze quickly hardening into arrogant contempt. He looked almost as though he took Sabo's complete lack of physical endurance as an offense. Sabo would have been offended had it, A, not been true and, B, he hadn't seen the look of concern the boy had hidden behind that mask.

Sabo released his breath, pulling the inhaler from his mouth, breath still struggling but that knot in his throat slowly loosening enough to let him take the deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth he needed. "You… ha… you sit... on a throne… of.. of lies." Sabo managed to get out. "Almost my ass." The older boy laughed, sounding more relieved then amused.

The younger boy quizzically asked the older something in their apparently native tongue. The older responded as he unlocked the front door and it swung open with a soft creak.

A pair of owlish eyes appeared before Sabo as the blonde continued to gasp for air.

"Hi, I'm Luffy! Nice to meet you. What is your name?" The boy, Sabo guessed no older than eight, asked in a thick accent. The words were all chosen very carefully and spoken in a measured pace that screamed the recital of a lesson. Sabo guessed that that was probably, most definitely, the case.

"Sabo." He managed to wheeze in response.

"Well, Sabo. Come inside? My name is Ace." The older offered, turning an amused look Sabo's way. He wondered where they were from as he picked up more of the same thick accent from Ace.

Opting not to ask, Sabo just shook his head. "Nah. I'm good. Don't think I can get up. Think I'll just stay here."

"Oh no. You come inside." Ace commanded

"Am I allowed to? I mean. You kinda just picked me up off the streets and, quite frankly, I need a shower. Are you sure your parents would be…" Sabo trailed off as Ace's mood dramatically shifted, a dark look clouding those dark eyes. Sabo wasn't even sure if Ace understood all of what Sabo had said, but he was certain that that look came from the mention of parents specifically.

Ace seemed to mull over his words before all put spitting out words in broken English "If we have parents, you think we take food?" Ace growled before tuning and stalking inside, dragging his and Sabo's bags of food along with him.

Sabo frowned, noting that he'd apparently hit a very sore topic of conversation. Sabo sensed eyes on him and turned to see Luffy's wide eyes trained on him. "Don't worry." Luffy gestured vaguely in the direction Ace had gone 'Don't worry about Ace' Sabo assumed was the meaning. "Ace… angry." Luffy's nose scrunched up in concentration. "Not you." Luffy finished with a satisfied nod.

Sabo sighed before dragging himself up into a sitting position. "I still want to apologize, though." Sabo decided, not sure if Luffy would understand but saying it anyway. He noticed the battered straw hat circled by a red ribbon that was resting on the ground between him and Luffy. Sabo picked it up and fit it atop Luffy's head with a smile before he stood up with a groan, his legs feeling like jelly. He took a moment to get his bearings and once he was satisfied that his legs would support him, he went inside with a Luffy trailing happily behind him.

What greeted Sabo in the kitchen was a buffet of snack food spread out across the counter and Ace standing there with a hand in his hair and sighing. He glanced up as Sabo entered and pursed his lips. "Parents. What about you?"

Sabo frowned, suddenly understanding how Ace felt. Sabo figured he owed him answer "On the other side of the country. They kicked me out. I was going to run, anyway." Sabo said simply, not wanting to elaborate any further than that just yet. "I haven't had a place to call home in…" Sabo sighed "a month? Two Months? I'm not sure anymore."

Luffy made an inquiring sound at Ace who responded quickly. Luffy's eyes widened, first with suprise, and then even further with excitement before he rattled off some words. The boy jumped and wrapped his arms around Sabo's neck, causing the blonde to stumble under the sudden weight hanging off his side. Sabo grabbed onto the edge of the table in order to keep himself from falling over.

Ace smiled "Luffy want to know if we can…" Ace raised his hands and made air quotes as he translated "Keep you."

"Keep me?"

"Yes. Stay if you want. _Avô_ not come home much. Free to stay."

Sabo shook his head, not dwelling on who _Avô_ was and focusing on the offer "No, maybe for dinner. But beyond that, I wouldn't want to impose. I know it's—" he stopped himself as Ace raised a finger with a grunt that told him to shut up.

"Help us with English. You get to stay. Not for free then." Ace smiled. "How that sound?"

"Teach you guys English?" Sabo asked to clarify.

Ace nodded.

"Um. I. I guess I could help with that. I don't know if I'd be any good but…" Sabo trailed off and the end of his sentence was drown out by Ace.

" _Excelente_!" Ace cheered and Luffy giggled in utter delight.

"Well, _vamos comer_!" Ace declared and Sabo quickly learned that hesitation at the dinner table would most certainly lead to starvation.


End file.
